Like Death
by simply-aly
Summary: Curiosity gets the better of her, and she can't help the words that spill out. "Did you ever fall for a Petrova?" AU-ish


"Katerina was not the first doppelganger you know," Klaus whispers as he trails a finger down her arm.

Elena shivers at his touch and tries to move away. His fingers wrap around her still-human wrist and press just hard enough to stop her movement before she can truly start, however, and she freezes immediately.

"The funny thing about you Petrova girls is that us Originals seem to flock to you." While his hold on her wrist stays strong, his other hand plays with her hair as he continues to speak. "Sometimes the girls attract Elijah, while other times they play to my interests. Of course, then there are also the rare girls—like Katerina—that both Elijah and I want. You, my lovely little doppelganger, fit into that third category." Klaus's gaze wanders then, and Elena follows with her own eyes. "Too bad there's only one of us left to claim you," he continues without any hint of remorse.

Elijah's truly dead body is lying on the floor at an awkward angle. His eyes, still open, are trained directly on her, and the sight brings tears to Elena's eyes. _He died for her_.

Katherine, Elena notices next, is beside him. She is deathly still…but she is not dead.

Klaus's cold hand closes around her chin and forces her eyes back on him, and in this moment, she hates him more than she could have ever before imagined hating anyone.

"You see," he whispers in her ear as he continues to tell his tale, "as far as I'm concerned, the…attraction, for lack of a better word, exists solely to make it harder for us to break the curse. For, as you well know, when you love someone, you could never wish harm upon them."

Curiosity gets the better of her, and she can't help the words that spill out. "Did you ever fall for a Petrova?"

The resulting smile is cruel, and even as he nods, the anger in his expression is present. "Back when I was young and foolish and she was even more so…yes, I thought I had fallen for a Petrova. She had, however, died at a very young age, and I learned quickly after the dangers of love.

"You Petrova girls were quicker, though—I'll give you that. The only ones who came to me were already dead and of no real use to me. That doesn't, of course mean I didn't make some use out of them. Not all of them became vampires, though, Elena. Some of them lived long, human lives…with the help of Elijah, who's weakness for you Petrovas exists even up to his very recent death. After all, it was he who made Katerina's transition possible. He _loved_ her, and his love for her was why he protected you.

"But now, they're both dead, and it's just us. The most powerful Original and the last of the Petrova line."

Elena figures he's completely psychotic, with very little grip on reality, because Katherine is _not_ dead, and she, too, is still alive. If he's going to kill her, she really doesn't need a history lesson before she goes.

"But you don't want me like Elijah wanted Katherine. You said he loved her…you don't love me?" It was supposed to be a statement of fact, but when the words come out, they form a question.

This time, Klaus laughs, pushing her up against a tree. In light of what has recently happened, Elena had forgotten she was in the middle of the woods.

"No, Elena, I do not love you. The thing is, you look exactly like all the other Petrovas, and for the first time since Tatia—_my_ Petrova, the _original_ Petrova—you are still human. I intend to make the most of that before your blood is spilt to create my master race." This had been her fear since the start of his tale, and at the confirmation, Elena emotionally shuts down.

He kisses her then, biting her lip and sucking greedily at the blood.

Elena's eyes search the ground and gravitate to Elijah and Katherine…but Katherine's body is gone. Elena's heart beats faster and adrenaline pumps through her.

Klaus feels it instantly and pulls away from her. "So, tell me Elena," he whispers, his forehead touching hers, "how does it feel to wear the face of dead lovers?"

Elena opens her mouth to answer, but the words don't come. Luckily, they don't have to, because Katherine takes over for her.

Standing directly behind Klaus, she whispers in _his_ ear, "Like _death_," just before plunging the dagger deep into his back.


End file.
